By Deborah Morgan


Nowadays, there are numerous genres of music being invented and reinvented to create a more unique and defined sound. Despite all the new artists seemingly popping out of nowhere, there are those who like sticking to tried and tested formulas, now often considered as classics. From the label itself, these are known to be songs and defining genres that withstand the test of time.

As such, some musicians decide to honor these artists and have dedicated their careers to playing their music and sharing the legacy they created for themselves. Jazz is a longstanding genre that was first formulated by mixing together different elements from ragtime, blues, swing, and more. Following this trail of thought, this article will be emphasizing on some engrossing details regarding the Chuck Pafenbach trio.

From the name itself, there are three members that comprise it and one of those is Jeff Helmer. Best known as a professor and director of the Jazz Department over at the University of Texas. As a band mate, he has contributed as their key piano player but has also experimented with his style and went on to join various solo competitions across the nation. While failing to bag any awards, the was a finalist two consecutive times, proving his skill and mastery.

John Fregmen is another professor in the same university as well, and specializes in teaching young students how to play bass guitar. He is known for his improvisation, which makes all his performances unique and one of a kind. With regard to his work as a bass player, he has appeared on the David Letterman show and was featured in many television theme songs and movies.

Chuck is their drummer and is also the person who brought the entire band together back in 2000. Also a licensed professor, he is most known around the area as a local celebrity since appearing multiple times in Austin based publications. Often regarded as one of their best drummers and credited for numerous works in their many albums, including World Beat.

Two years after their initial conception, the trio released their first title appropriately called Introducing. While it had only three songs, it was enough to garner some attention with their talents and unique style of playing. The three tracks were all arranged musically by them and contained a hearty cover of Round Midnight by Thelonius Monk.

High Life was released next, three years after the first one was created. This time, it contained ten songs, seven more compared to their previous work. Sam Seifert is credited with helping these artists in terms of production and creating a more polished sound. Their sound still contained elements of Jazz but experimented slightly with other genres as well, as evidenced in their rendition of Footprints by Wayne Shorter.

Jazz Dance is a most recognizable album because it used the acclaimed artwork called La Danse, painted by a world renowned artist named Henri Matisse. Ann, who was also the designer assigned for this task claimed that it helped define who the tracks were and fully encompassed the emotions brought about by their playing. The band credited the Bismeaux Studio as the venue for their recording sessions and was supervised by the same producer.

Their latest production was released for their fans in 2011, which comprised nine tracks. The release was given the name World Beat and this time, they also enlisted Will Harrison for its production. For its art cover, Jose Mata was enlisted as well.




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